Amazon's endless summer?

Amazon warehouse folk have the summer off—and then what? The mystery "reconfiguration" of the 90,000-square-foot Seattle warehouse is getting little more than a confirming nod from our unbookish pals up the hill, though Seattle Weekly's sources have hinted before that these jobs are tagged for a one-way trip out of town. Understanding that rumor and speculation run rife at times like these, we'd like to suggest a few ways that local Amazon warehouse workers can while away the time as they wait for management to quit screwing with their heads.

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Book: Gig (John Bowe et al., Crown, 588pp.) This collection of first-person essays from all around the American workforce—an updated version of Studs Terkel's landmark Working—has plenty of nifty ideas for the underemployed. That Wal-Mart greeter gig actually sounds kind of neat.

Music: Endless Summer Legends (Platinum Disc Corp., 1999, various artists) Look, you can't just lay around and stress about this thing. If Dick Dale can't put you in a better frame of mind while you wait this out, give the virtual finger to Human Resources with the Fantastic Baggy's "Tell 'Em I'm Surfin'." As well you should be.

Movie: Dangerous Jobs (National Geographic, 1998, VHS) The fellow on the cover is putting out what appears to be an out-of-control fire. The analogy is left as an exercise for the reader—after all, you've got the time.